A good four and a half years ago, a fire severely damaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. French President Macron now visited the construction site of the landmark and also lent a hand himself.
Wow! President Macron nods appreciatively and thanks the craftsmen with a handshake. They carved two pens for him and his wife Brigitte from the wood donated to Notre Dame. “It’s good to be by your side today,” says Macron. “What an adventure!”
He climbs up to the cross that was placed on the new spire on St. Nicholas Day. Notre Dame is back to its original height: 96 meters.
Macron himself lends a hand to engraving the name of General Georgelin, the previous construction manager who died in an accident in the summer, into the wood of the tower. Without him, we wouldn’t be here, said his successor Philippe Jost. He praised the more than a thousand people who had taken on “an incredible challenge” with their excellent craftsmanship.
Dispute over windows, roof and building materials
The president carefully holds on to a railing with both hands, but then waves from a lofty height to those who are standing on the forecourt or who have opened their windows. Frédéric is a resident of the cathedral: “In a year it will be open again – I will see it as before, that’s my dream! Overwhelming!” It’s a huge construction site, he says. “A challenge to tackle it in 5 years!”
President Macron sees it the same way. He is now down in the nave. With First Lady and Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak. “We have decided to represent the 21st century through a few symbols. I would like to thank the Archbishop of Paris for his suggestion to replace six church windows on the south side. For this we are organizing a competition for modern artists,” said the minister. The six historic windows from Viollet-le-Duc should find a new place in a Notre Dame museum.
Photo gallery
Macron visits the Notre Dame de Paris construction site
It will be set up right next to the cathedral in the Hôtel de Dieu hospital complex. This doesn’t reassure art historian Didier Rykner. The live guest on the news channel BFMTV immediately comments: “The windows have just been restored. And the Ministry of Culture and the Heritage Commission have said no to that. It’s not normal for the President to ignore laws on cultural heritage and the will of the donors. It’s like a banana republic. Unbelievable.”
The new roof is also controversial. From January onwards it will be covered with almost 500 tonnes of lead, true to the original. Environmentalists, Greens and residents are calling for a construction halt until new risk expertise is available. Macron said: “The occupational health and safety department has taken all the measures. Every minute of it was professional and not rushed. I also defend the identical reconstruction on the grounds of architectural coherence: I was just shown how to polish lead sheets. The construction site preserves these techniques.”
Landmarks and Tourist magnet
Until December 8, 2024, things will happen in quick succession: a new tap for the top of the tower, the beams to be able to close the gaping hole. Inside, return the cleaned Great Organ. Complete excavations, lay pipes and flooring, install heating, acoustics and fire protection. 1,500 solid oak chairs will be delivered next autumn. A success for the president, who is troubled by domestic politics and can hardly find a majority in parliament – he will be able to keep his promise. Is the construction site a symbol of a successful term for Macron?
“Above all, I want to see the image of a France of builders. A France that doesn’t stop at the daily details and everything that goes wrong, but a France with hope and confidence.”
And according to the forecasts, that’s worth it: 14 million tourists are expected in the first year after the reopening, 2 million more than before the fire.
Stefanie Markert, ARD Paris, tagesschau, December 8th, 2023 5:33 p.m